


Swimming For the Shore

by zarabithia



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-05
Updated: 2007-02-05
Packaged: 2019-05-19 23:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14883515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: "Do I still remind you of someone you know?" she asks, when the second kiss is broken."No," he tells her, because the truth is too complicated.And completely in the past.





	Swimming For the Shore

The part of Roy that was a Titan first is both mildly annoyed and morbidly curious when he realizes that his status as a Leaguer allows him to read the current Titans’ status reports. He recognizes the necessity of the reports now more than he did when he had still been young enough that his team still needed to fill them out. Still, he can’t help but be a little riled by the fact that it’s not just The Big Three reading up on the Titans. Any member of the League that wants access to the files has it, even himself and Vixen. It seems invasive, somehow, in ways that Roy can’t quite find the words to express his disgust for.

Superman thinks it’s necessary, though, and so do Batman and Wonder Woman. Moreover, Dinah and Hal remind every reason _Speedy_ gave the League for thinking that such precautions are necessary in the first place.

It’s a good argument, and one that Roy still wishes they couldn’t make, despite the care they go to in order to place the blame on Ollie instead of him.

He’s never been good at arguing with Dinah anyway, he and Hal have better things to argue over, and he’s still too much of a noob to argue with The Big Three. This is, after all, the last team he has left. He doesn’t want to run the risk of losing them too.

So, he bites down his dislike of the reports and gives into his curiosity. He marvels over just how detailed the reports coming from the Teen Titans are. He wonders if it’s a new thing, if maybe the current Robin manages to pay even greater attention to detail than _his_. . . than _the first_ Robin did. Everything from the state of the plumbing to food consumption to team dynamics is included in the weekly reports. Roy tries to imagine Dick filling out similar reports - and now Roy supposes he should have taken the time to actually read the reports Dick _did_ file with the JLA instead of just pretending to - and can’t quite imagine Dick’s reports being so . . .clinical.

The Outsiders’ reports might have been as devoid of feeling, though, if Nightwing had been forced to submit those.

But Roy doesn’t want to think about that, because it still hurts to remember their _failed team_ , his _failed efforts_ to save Dick from the downward spiral Nightwing had begun after Donna’s death, and the _complete and utter failure_ that had been their relationship. Experience tells him the pain isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, no matter how optimistic the headlines coming out of New York are these days. Because the only way that feeling would ever go away. . .isn’t an option. He’s never going to have to explain to Lian _yet again_ that her favorite Uncle went away. He’s already done it to her more times than he should have. . .he won’t allow his daughter to keep paying the price for his own weaknesses.

Even so, there’s no refuting the way his heart thunders to a stop the minute he stumbles across the portion of the report dealing with Batgirl. It’s such a fucking familiar scenario - Bat turns on friends, Bat sides with Deathstroke, Bat probably screwing Deathstroke.

Not necessarily in that order.

But by reading through Robin’s carefully planted lines - a skill Roy used to be rather proud of, back when he’d still thought he was pretty good at it - he can tell that unlike his. . .unlike _Nightwing_ , Batgirl is currently feeling remorse for her actions.

Despite the fact that they weren’t her fault. Someone really ought to tell her that merely having shame at all puts her far above most of her "family."

Batman won’t. Nightwing seems more invested in Wilson’s brat daughter than his own family, for reasons which are either stupid or nausea-inducing, depending on the _exact_ level of assitude behind his choices. As for Robin, from reading the report all Roy can deduce is that the poor kid has started on the track leading to Renegade far earlier than his fellow Titans probably deserve.

There’s absolutely no good reason Roy should be the one to go check on her. He barely knows the girl. But he does know about making mistakes. And he knows, better than almost anyone, how self destructive a Bat can get. Yet even Roy can admit that both of those "reasons" are as pathetic as the solace he finds in knowing that San Francisco is on the opposite side of the country as New York.

So, in an effort not to look completely lame, when he comes face to face with Ms. Cain and she demands an explanation for his presence, he offers a simpler reason for caring about her well being. "You remind me of someone I used to know," he tells her, because the full truth is too complicated.

For whatever reason, it’s enough of an explanation for Cass.

Two months later, a six a.m. sparring match ends as all Bat-Arrow matches do, with the Bat looking down triumphantly at the loser. But for the first time in a long time, Roy doesn’t _mind_ the losing, mostly because it’s resulted in her Cass’ smiling form straddling him as they lie on the floor of his apartment.

It’s too much temptation, and everyone but Cassandra knows how bad Roy Harper is at walking away from temptation.

By the time he breaks the kiss, she has a better understanding of his impulses. She doesn’t look like she’s getting ready to kick his ass for it, though, which Roy chooses to take as a positive sign. He takes it as an even better sign when, after taking a moment to run her tongue over her lips, she decides to kiss him back. She tastes - and feels - _wonderful_ , and he kisses her back more strongly than he’s kissed anyone in a very long time.

She returns his kiss, matching his enthusiasm and then some.

"Do I still remind you of someone you know?" she asks, when the second kiss is broken.

"No," he tells her, because the truth is too complicated.

And completely in the past.  



End file.
